It was 2001 when WXPN/Philadelphia OM/MD Dan Reed (then PD of non-commercial Triple A WFPK/Louisville) had a unique response to the challenge of showing off ’FPK’s new facility to the industry. Why not organize a convention exclusively addressing the interests and issues of Triple A’s non-comm programmers? What Reed envisioned was a small gathering of programmers with local artist performances. The unexpected result was that NON-COMM grew into full-blown convention, with showcases by national acts and over 300 annual attendees from all over the country.
It was 2001 when WXPN/Philadelphia OM/MD Dan Reed (then PD of non-commercial Triple A WFPK/Louisville) had a unique response to the challenge of showing off ’FPK’s new facility to the industry. Why not organize a convention exclusively addressing the interests and issues of Triple A’s non-comm programmers? What Reed envisioned was small gathering of programmers with local artist performances. The unexpected result was that NON-COMM grew into full-blown convention, with showcases by national acts and over 300 annual attendees from all over the country.
In honor of the occasion of The 9th Annual NON-COMMvention, presented by WXPN and FMQB/pro.qb, taking place this Thursday through Saturday in Philadelphia, this week’s eQB brings you Reed’s look back on the first eight years of NON-COMM, including some of the most rewarding moments he has had there. If you can’t join us in Philly this year, Dan’s memories will make you sure to come next year.
– Jack Barton
Dan Reed
It was the 2002 NON-COMMvention. We were all packed into Headliner’s Music Hall in Louisville and Patti Smith had just taken the stage. I was sitting in the balcony of the venue, reserved for the NON-COMM attendees, when I felt a tapping on my shoulder. WXPN’s Bruce Warren leaned down and spoke into my ear over the music, simply asking, “Isn’t this cool?”
There are so many of these “cool” moments that happened over the past nine years, that it’s really kind of hard to recall all of them. What started as a pretty simple idea has grown into a yearly ritual for so many talented people in the music and radio industries. Even though it’s difficult to recall exact timelines and circumstances, I can honestly say that almost every memory I have of NON-COMMs past are fantastic. From the dedication of the people I worked with to make these events happen, to the talents of the hundreds of artists who have played, to the friends and colleagues who showed up to celebrate, network, learn and listen, being a part of the NON-COMMvention has been a tremendous blessing to me personally and professionally.
The Beginning
In 2000, the three public radio stations in Louisville, KY (including my former home, WFPK) moved into our new home on 4th Street in the city’s downtown. It is a state-of-the-art facility that remains one of the finest homes any public radio organization could possibly hope for. My boss at the time, Gerry Weston, now the GM of Public Radio Delmarva in Salisbury, MD, had charged all of us with coming up with ideas to show off our new digs both locally and beyond.
Being a veteran of the Triple A conventions in Boulder, I knew that one of the main concerns my fellow public radio programmers had about The Summit was a lack of meetings that concerned us. A lot of the topics and, truth be told, a fair amount of the music, just didn’t have much resonance in our world. The initial idea was to invite the Triple A public radio stations to Louisville for a few days of meetings and maybe get a chance to showcase some of Louisville’s local music talent for the programmers attending. I can remember e-mailing all of my fellow PDs and MDs inviting them to show up. I expected that maybe ten stations would come. The strange thing that happened was after the word got out that we were convening in May, I started getting calls from record companies and promoters asking if they could showcase their artists at the convention. Making it up as we went along, Gerry and I also figured out that there were some tremendous opportunities available by involving the promotion world in our plans. This was a very important turning point, and we soon realized this was an opportunity to attract more stations by showcasing established and up-and-coming national talent along with some of our local favorites.
Our first conference (still unnamed, by the way) took place in 2001 with representatives from about 20-25 stations attending, and forty or so promotion professionals. The response was incredibly positive from all quarters, and soon people were asking me when next year’s convention would take place! We took the bait, got a little more organized and planned for another get-together in 2002.
During the planning process for the second convention, I was speaking to M:M Music’s (then Michele Clark Promotions)Crystal Ann Lea on the phone about the first year’s get-together. Crystal Ann was an early believer in the convention and she had some really nice things to say about year one. I remember her telling me “It’s not like any other radio convention… it’s like a non-convention!” I knew right then we had our name. This “non-convention” had to be the NON-COMMvention! Thanks, Crystal Ann!
I’ll Have Another
The second year could have been a disaster, but it turned out to be one of my very favorite conventions. We had no real way to know how many people would show up in 2002, yet we more than doubled our attendance! We absolutely did not have enough room at the station to hold all of the people attending, especially for the music showcases. Songlines’ Sean Coakley saved the day by hastily arranging us a bigger room down the street at the nearby Seelbach Hotel, and I called in some local favors to get a sound system in there in order to hear sets from people like Bruce Cockburn and a brand new artist called Citizen Cope. This was also the year that Patti Smith first played for us, and that booking provided me with another very fond memory.
I had been trying my hardest to get Patti to play that year, mainly because, truth be told, I was such a huge fan. Late in March I arrived home one afternoon, with my two-year-old son Max in my arms, after a trip to the grocery store. The phone was ringing as I walked in. I put down the groceries, threw Max over my shoulder and grabbed the phone. “Hello, is Dan Reed there?” said a slightly familiar female voice on the other end. It was Patti Smith! She wanted to talk to me personally about the NON-COMMvention, what it was, who would be there, etc. Quite a thrill, indeed! She had a lot of questions, but after I explained the concept behind the convention, she was 100 percent behind it. Patti became one of our earliest celebrity backers, and actually returned a couple of years later to play another NON-COMM. She’s always made it a point to praise the convention and the attending stations for our independence and adventurousness, and I will always be a fan of hers.
As the years blend together, so many other memories come to mind: Gomez playing at the Seelbach Hotel as a huge thunder and lightning storm raged outside; Harry Shearer answering a question as Spinal Tap’s Derek Smalls in Philly at the Inn At Penn; the great Steve Winwood opening one of the Louisville conventions in WFPK’s cozy performance room; engaging Robert Pollard in a conversation about Scott Walker before a late-night set in Louisville; The Flaming Lips’ set/conversation that was broadcast live on WFPK; The Hold Steady’s show last year at World Café Live; the year we had a Sunday morning “Gospel Brunch” with Ollabelle; getting embarrassed by Biff Kennedy and WYSO’s Niki Dakota over some of my past music transgressions; all of the tremendous Music Meeting panels; our partnership with Triplearadio.com’s Dave Chaney and Mike Lyons’ tremendously entertaining State Of the Format addresses; the years we had the Lost Highway river cruise on the Ohio River; the planning and execution of at least six of the NON-COMMventions with the help of Billy Hardison and Mindy Fulner; watching people slowly come around to my Louisville pals, My Morning Jacket, after showcasing them during at least three (!)NON-COMMs; that brilliant night at the Brown Theatre in Louisville that featured Paul Westerberg, Sonic Youth, The Patti Smith Group, and The Polyphonic Spree (still my personal favorite single bill in the history of the NON-COMM); sitting in the lobby of the Brown Hotel late at night, fighting sleep, talking with everybody; the moment of silence, right before an incredible round of applause, after a newcomer named Damien Rice blew everyone away with a late night set, and 8a.m. the very next morning, when another new act – Los Lonely Boys – woke everybody up with an astounding twenty minutes of music. I also can’t forget the music from John Cale, Rodney Crowell, Johnny Marr, Patty Griffin, The Subdudes, Aimee Mann, John Hiatt, Ani DiFranco,Ben Folds, John Doe, Bell X1 and meeting the great Dr. John just a year ago in Philly. Believe me, I could go on and on and on.
The Future
I’m proud and happy that my colleagues here at WXPN believe in the spirit of the NON-COMMvention and have made it a priority. We’re happy to have Jack Barton andFMQB/pro.qb onboard as our media sponsor again this year. We hope to add more memories to the treasure trove May 28-30, 2009.
The radio business, like the rest of America, has seen better financial times.
It feels like a struggle sometimes to keep up with everything, to work to keep our organizations afloat and satisfy our members and listeners. One thing is for certain though. The power of music will prevail. Creative artists everywhere continue to create, and the hard-working and talented radio professionals in our format continue to strive to provide a forum for those artists and their music. I’ve often said that my personal goals for the NON-COMMvention are to: 1) have fun and celebrate being a part of this business of ours; 2) see some great music; and 3) take some ideas home with you that will help you serve your audience better. I hope that the NON-COMMvention has been, and will continue to be, a part of making everybody a more effective force in this business.
I just hope that this year, as I’m watching, say, Lost Highway’s Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, rip it up onstage, I’ll again feel that tapping on my back from somebody who offers only those three little words, “Isn’t this cool?”
Dan Reed has been a non-comm programmer most of his career, including stints at WNCW/Spindale and WFPK/Louisville, as well as his current post as MD/OM at WXPN/Philadelphia. He is also the founder and producer of Triple A’s NON-COMMvention, being held May 28-30 in Philadelphia.
**Content by Jack Barton**
